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F-18 Hornet
The F-18 Hornet is a carrier-based second-generation Tactical Surface Fighter developed by Northrock and McDaell Doglam to take over the F-14 Tomcat as the US Navy's premiere strike TSF. History The F-18 would first begin its life as the YF-17 Cobra, a contender to the YF-16 Viper. Both TSFs were part of the Lightweight Tactical Surface Fighter program, but despite the YF-16's victory and its subsequent development into the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the US Navy had concerns about the F-16's operating time, load capacity, and maintainability. McDaell Doglam takes over development of the YF-17, refining it into the multi-purpose F-18 Hornet which is later adopted by the US Navy. Although the F-14 Tomcat was the main TSF of the US Navy, the decision to retire it was in part due to its poor cost-to-performance ratio; each sortie required costly maintanence to its systems, and that was before factoring in the cost of its weapons. The F-18's performance was close to the F-15 Eagle for a lower operational cost per TSF and greater versatility than the F-16, making it popular for export to other countries such as Australia. Deployment The F-18 was operated by both the US Navy and various nations, with the US Navy switching to the F-18E/F Super Hornet in 1994. F-18s are still operated by Australia and other nations, and a flight of F-18s are operated by an Australian experimental unit at Yukon Base in Alaska as part of Project PROMINENCE. F-18E/F Super Hornet A redesigned Hornet developed by McDaell Doglam, the Super Hornet achieves 2.5th generation classification as a result of various improvements to its operating time and systems. The head module is expanded to accomodate improved sensors and avionics, shoulder units are expanded to house large thrusters, and its hip block and lower legs are expanded to extend operating time, defensive ability, and carrying load. Once again with efficiency similar to the F-15E Strike Eagle and at a lower cost, the Super Hornet becomes the flagship machine of the United States Marine Corps, and is also exported to COSEAN, Australia, and Africa. Later, Northrock sues McDaell Doglam over the production of the Super Hornet, claiming it had not given permission for production of F-18 variants. It is later produced by Boening after its merger with McDaell Doglam. The USMC uses the single seat F-18E model while the US Navy utilizes the two-seater F-18F; notable examples include the USMC's VMF-318 Black Knives and VMF-536 Bloody Nightmare squadron as F-18E users, and the USN's VF-133 Raging Busters squadron as F-18F users. The Super Hornets of VMF-536 Bloody Nightmare would be deployed as strike units, operating in tandem with other squadrons of the US Marine Corps' 26th TSF Wing to run herd-thinning operations in Europe in April 2000. Its well-deserved reputation as a reliable unit is such that in 2004, the Imperial Navy of Japan is considering replacing its Type-77s with Super Hornets to expand its fleetborne fighting capabilities. In The Day After, the F-18E/F returns as one of the primary TSFs of the US Armed Forces; the rising of sea levels during Operation Babylon meant that the majority of TSFs that survived the sudden disasters were those that were already stored on carriers or in assault ships. Once again operated by the Black Knives and Raging Busters, twelve Super Hornets defended the USS John F. Kennedy from a BETA attack, proving its reputation as a 2.5th generation TSF through its performance. F-18Es were also present at the Defence of Seattle providing fire support to local US Army and Imperial Army forces under Lieutenant Lilia Kjellberg, commander of the newly-reformed Black Knives. The ''Black Knives ''would later provide unauthorised aid to Imperial Army forces during the Seattle Food Plant Hijack, and together with the F-18Fs of US Navy units would participate alongside US Army and Imperial Army forces during the 8th Border War against the French/Canadian alliance. F-CK-1 Ching-kuo A second-generation TSF developed by Taiwan, based on the requirement of running thinning operations across the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan chose the F-18's base design over the F-16's for its superior operating time and versatility. To further extend the F-CK-1's operational range, its upgrades (similar to those of the Super Hornet) include a lightened frame and enlarged leg fuel tanks. YF-17 Cobra The F-18's development began with the Northrock's YF-17 prototype that lost to the YF-16 in the Lightweight Tactical Surface Fighter competition. Game Appearances Black knives.png|An F-18E as it appears in Muv-Luv Unlimited: The Day After. Fish out of water.png|An F-18F as it appears in Muv-Luv Unlimited: The Day After. Gallery 09B3138C.png|A crashed F-18E Super Hornet. 2B424097.png|Two F-18Es defending a carrier deck. Category:TSF Category:The Day After Category:Total Eclipse Category:TSFIA